Path of Swords
by Knight-Dawn
Summary: As Himura Kenji nears his fifteenth birthday, he grows increasingly troubled by the changes that continue to shape his world. He has always dreamed of being a swordsman, following the path of swords, but in the Meiji Era his path will not be easy. Swords and swordsmen are quickly fading into the past, becoming obsolete. Can Kenji still find a place for himself in such a world?
1. Prologue: Path of Swords

Path of Swords

Prologue: Path of Swords

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><p>It was a bright day in late autumn, with a clear sky the most beautiful shade of blue, but Kenshin hardly noticed. He stood out under the sakura trees near the dojo's entrance, trying hard to ignore the cries coming from the house. Not that it was unusual to hear shouts echoing down to the entrance—it was a dojo, after all, and in the time since Enishi's Jinchuu the dojo had finally gained a following. Yutaro was back from Germany, and even though his arm was still in a sling, he was capable of fighting.<p>

Kenshin tensed up as another scream reached his ears. These cries bothered him. They were not grunts and shouts of the pains of practice, but of pure, unrestrained _agony_.

Kenshin rested his hand on the hilt of his sakabato, trying to relax. It might be easier to bear if he could not hear Kaoru's screams. Perhaps he should have done as Megumi requested and gone to town for a while...

In his heart, Kenshin knew better. Even if he could not hear her, he would not be able to forget what was happening here. That was the reason he had stopped at the entrance, still within earshot. If something went wrong, he wanted to know right away. He wanted to be by her side if...

No. Kenshin refused to think of that. Kaoru _would_ survive. She had survived so much, gone through so much hardship, so many battles... This should be easy, by comparison. She could not die now, not after having lived through everything else.

Kenshin couldn't stand the thought. _But, even so... If Kaoru-dono does die, it will only be my own fault. I am the one who put her in this position. I am the one who..._

Kenshin put a hand to his temple as yet another cry—the loudest and most agonized yet—echoed off the walls around him. He leaned up against the large doors, suddenly feeling faint. He couldn't take much more of this. "Kami," he whispered, praying it would end soon.

_Think of other things,_ he told himself. _Think of all the happiness she's brought you._

It was rather hard to think of all the joy they'd shared, though, when he was still tormented by her pain. It was worse than anything he'd felt before, not only because her pain was his fault, but also because it was not something he could protect her from. It was not a foe he could fight, or defeat. This was up to Kaoru, and Kaoru alone, and there was nothing Kenshin could do about it.

He'd never felt more helpless in his life.

Kenshin sighed, and sat down beneath the sakura trees, closing his eyes and trying to clear his head. _It will be over soon._

His thoughts refused to settle. He found himself thinking of all sorts of crazy things. The day he met her. The day he left for Kyoto. The day they returned home—the day Kenshin first realized that the dojo was, in fact, his _home_ now. The day he thought he'd lost her forever—and all the days that bled together after that day, the days he spent wishing he, too, was dead. The day he found out she was alive, the day he finally got to see her smile again.

The day he asked her to marry him, and also the day they said their vows at the shrine in Tokyo. The night that followed, and many other such nights.

Kenshin didn't regret any of them, despite knowing that one of them was to blame for the pain Kaoru was feeling. He knew the happiness he'd given her outweighed the burden of any pain he'd caused her. She'd told him once that she wanted to be with him, forever. And he felt the same way for her.

As scared as he was at that moment, the happiness he felt deep down made it worth it. Kenshin sighed, leaning back to let the tension free itself from his body. His shoulders relaxed as he centered himself on that deep-down happiness. _Calm_, Kenshin thought, _be calm._

Such actions came not a moment too soon, as one final cry sounded in his ears. It was awful to hear, even if it wasn't as loud as some of the others had been. Kaoru sounded exhausted, and that frightened Kenshin, too. _She hasn't had any rest for hours... Kaoru-dono..._

But his worries all-but vanished when another sound echoed down from the dojo. A sound that warmed his heart.

It was the sound of a newborn's cries.

Kenshin was on his feet in a heartbeat. It took all the strength he had to walk calmly to the doors of the house he shared with Kaoru, rather than rush headlong with his god-speed. He hadn't even put a hand up to open the door when Megumi slid it open, meeting his anxious gaze with a weary smile.

"I'm sure you'll be happy to know that both of them are fine, Ken-san. Kaoru's a bit tired, of course, but she did very well, considering it was her first time."

Kenshin went past Megumi, her words only registering in the back of his mind.

When he walked into the room, his gaze fell onto Kaoru's form where she lay propped up against the wall. In her arms was cradled the tiny infant. When Kaoru looked up and met his gaze, her eyes were full of pride.

"Kenshin... Come and see him."

_A boy, then_. Kenshin thought as he wandered over to them and knelt down on the wooden floor. Kaoru held the boy out to him, and Kenshin gently took him from her, cradling the baby in his own embrace.

_He's so little... _Kenshin thought. He'd seen babies before, of course, but somehow it was different when it was his own child.

"Isn't he perfect, Kenshin?" Kaoru asked, her voice almost a whisper.

"Hai," Kenshin said, smiling broadly in agreement. "Look, Kaoru-dono... He has this one's hair."

Kaoru smiled. "I know," she said, eyes full of happiness. "I was thinking we'd call him Kenji, after you."

Kenshin nodded his agreement as he looked down at their son in silence. Kenji. Path of Swords. A fitting name for the son of a swordsman, and the descendent of a long line of samurai.

When Kenji stirred in his arms, Kenshin was suddenly overcome by his pent-up emotions. Kaoru blinked in surprise when she saw the tears running down his face. He smiled at her even as he wiped them away quickly. "It's okay, Kaoru-dono. This one is just... happy. So very happy. It is something this one never thought would happen. That... this one could help create a new life. This one... who took so many lives away."

Kaoru's nodded her understanding as she embraced her husband, tears shining in her eyes as well.

Kenshin smiled down at his family, so happy to love and be loved. His life had now come full-circle. As a hitokiri during the Bakumatsu, he'd taken many lives away. But now, a new life existed because of him.

It was not something he had dared to hope for before he'd married Kaoru.

But now, it was something he would always treasure.

Kenji.

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><p><strong>Author: <strong>Long time, no see!

I wrote a short story a while ago, "Heart of a Sword," and promised that the story begun there was not the entire story I had in my mind. Heart of a Sword went over a lot better than I could have hoped, and I'm grateful to everyone who read and reviewed it. If you're one of those people, then I hope this one is as enjoyable. If you haven't read Heart of a Sword, it's not really crucial to the plot of this one... But it does explain the presence of certain people. So I leave it up to you whether you read it or not.

However, where "Heart of a Sword" was a happy story with a lot of sweet moments that did touch upon more serious themes on occasion... "Path of Swords" is a much darker story. It will follow an older Kenji as he tries to find his place in the world. (That said, it's nothing like the "Reflections" OVA. I want it to be as true to the manga as possible, at least as far as themes go.)

As far as Japanese terms go, I'm not fluent. If I make any glaring errors, I apologize. On the other hand... If there is ever a term that confuses you as a reader, please don't hesitate to ask me about it. I will explain anything that confuses anyone as best as I can.

One final note: In "Heart of a Sword," Kenshin's speech pattern was based upon his anime incarnation. I'm going with the manga in this one, that I am. (It's difficult for me to pick between the two, though, because I like both for different reasons. It's one reason I'd really like to become fluent in Japanese. So I could read his speech the way the author wanted it to be. But I get the gist of it, so I try to stay as true to that as I can while using English.)

I look forward to writing more of this! Reviews are, as always, appreciated. I enjoy hearing back from my readers.

See you next time, de gozaru yo!


	2. Chapter 1: Lord of the Dojo

Path of Swords

Chapter One: Lord of the Dojo

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><p>The sound of bokken striking shinai rang out across the yard. Kenshin was once again doing his daily chores, but a smile crept across his face as he listened to the sounds of training coming from the dojo. How could it not bring a smile to his face? He had been a swordsman, once, even if he'd given his sakabato to Yahiko for genpukku. In his heart, he was still a swordsman, and would be a swordsman until the day he died.<p>

It warmed his swordsman's heart to hear the sound of the next generation mastering their own swordsmanship. Even if swords would become obsolete in Meiji—already the law against citizens carrying them in public was brutally enforced for the most part—Kaoru-dono was correct about the "way of swordsmanship" surviving even if they were only allowed to use bokken.

There was one child who was very adamant about following that way.

"Watch your stance!" _Whack. _Kenji's voice had been stern, and Kenshin winced at the sound of a bokken meeting something besides a shinai.

"Ow! That hurt, brother!" The younger boy's voice sounded as though he were almost in tears.

_Whack._ "I told you, watch your stance, _baka_."

"Onii-san! Don't be so mean!" He was definitely crying now. Kenshin set down what he was working on, concerned.

"Don't be so stupid." Kenji's voice was angry.

_Whack. _"Don't you hit Kenta again, Kenji! I'll throttle you!"

"Ow! Kenko, that hurt!'

"See how you like it!"

"_Baka!_" Kenji yelled. Kenshin sighed and stood up. As he crossed the yard to the dojo's door, the sounds of the struggle grew increasingly painful to hear. He clearly heard a loud thump as someone—probably Kenji—hit the floor very hard. Kenta was still crying, too.

Kenshin slid open the door, and the children froze and went silent as his shadow fell across the floor. Kenko had a fist in Kenji's hair and was sitting on his back. There was a red mark on his left cheek where Kenshin assumed Kenko had hit him with her shinai. He'd have a bruise there for sure. Kenta sniffled as his teary sapphire blue eyes met his father's gaze.

"Alright. This one would like to know what's going on in here, de gozaru yo."

All three children glanced away, Kenko letting go of Kenji's hair and standing up again. Kenji stood up, too, brushing himself off before shooting Kenko a fierce glare.

"Kenji was being mean to Kenta!" Kenko shouted. Kenta shuffled his feet.

"I was not!" Kenji protested, giving his father a pleading look. "Kenta didn't have the footing right, so I just gave him a little taste of what that could earn him if he weren't fighting his kind and caring older brother."

"Kind and caring my foot," Kenko snorted. "You made Kenta cry, onii-san!"

Kenshin sighed, and turned to Kenta. "Are you okay, son? Did you really get hurt badly?"

Kenta looked down at his feet, his face turning almost as red as his brother's hair. His own hair was black, like Kaoru's. He sniffled again, then shook his head.

Kenko frowned, clapping Kenta on the shoulder. "_Baka_. You mean you weren't really hurt?"

"Only a little," Kenta admitted. "You overreacted, sister."

Kenji frowned. "Doesn't help when you're a crybaby, brother."

Kenta's face flushed with anger. "I am not!" He stood straight up, and there was a fierce confidence in his eyes. "I can hold my own!"

He raised his shinai towards his brother, and Kenji smiled as he raised his own bokken in turn. "No holding back this time," Kenji chided.

Kenta grinned. "Wouldn't dream of it."

Kenshin glanced towards each of his sons, sighed, and turned to leave to dojo. They might be a bit rough with each other, but they knew their own limits.

He was proud of them.

…

A month later, Kaoru had plans to go to the next town over with Yahiko and Yutaro for extra training at another dojo. Kenji was rather disappointed with the arrangements.

"But, mother... Why can't I come along? I'm an assistant master, too! I'm your best student!"

Kaoru frowned, sighing. "Yes, Kenji. You're an assistant master, and one of my best students. That's true. And that's exactly why you're staying here. I need someone I can trust to watch the dojo for a couple days while the rest of us are gone."

Kenji crossed his arms, frowning. "No. I am not babysitting."

Kaoru clocked him on the head lightly with her bokken. "No, baka. Kenshin's staying, too. He'll take care of you three. But he doesn't teach Kamiya Kasshin... So you've got to take care of my students for me. Okay? I'm trusting you."

Kenji was about to protest, but Kaoru silenced him with a quick hug and a kiss on the forehead. "Take care, Kenji. I'll be home soon, okay?"

Kenji sighed, nodding. "Take care, Mom."

He went back in the house a little reluctantly, only to find his father getting things together as well. Kenji crossed his arms. "Dad? I thought Mom said you were staying here?"

Kenshin turned to face his son with one of his trademark rurouni smiles as he rubbed his head. "This one is only going to town to do the shopping. This one will be back before night, that he will."

Kenji glared at Kenshin, who finally dropped the smile and opened his eyes. "This one trusts you to be in charge of the students for the day. You are almost a man, that you are."

Kenji opened his mouth to protest, but Kenshin merely picked up the _bo_ and placed it over his shoulders, smiling once more. He put a hand on Kenji's shoulder as he walked by him out the door. "You will do a fine job, this one is sure of that. Take care, son."

Kenji followed his father for a few footsteps before he stopped and stood still. Watching him walk away down the path to the dojo's doors, Kenji felt very small all of a sudden. The wind picked up, ruffling Kenshin's hair, and Kenji sighed, leaning slightly to one side as he smiled a little. "I'm not babysitting, just so you know. I'm _instructing._"

Kenshin turned to smile back at him, nodding. "Hai. With Kaoru-dono, Yahiko, and Yutaro gone, that does leave you in charge. As of today, you are the master of the dojo."

As Kenshin vanished from sight, Kenji couldn't stop his little smile from becoming a full-fledged grin as he turned his gaze to the dojo.

His father was right, after all. Until the other masters returned, Himura Kenji was in charge here.

…

"Put more into it!" Kenji chided, watching Ota and Shinichi spar. Shinichi was one of the oldest students in the dojo, but he also had a bad habit of going too easy on the younger students. He tried a little too hard not to hurt them. As for Ota... He still tended to hold back as well, even if he did have iron in him. He was also very easily distracted.

"Huh?" Ota asked, turning to face Kenji for one brief moment. Kenji frowned, stepping in the way. He clocked Ota on the head with his bokken.

"I said, you're holding back to much! Pay attention!"

Ota nodded as Kenji stepped away. It didn't matter that Kenji was eight years his junior—when it came to swordsmanship, Kenji was his senior. Kenji couldn't remember a time when he hadn't been studying the art. He'd barely been a toddler when Kaoru had begun teaching him.

Shinichi and Ota were both panting before Kenji finally stopped them. They had just sat down on the sidelines, grinning, when Kenji shot them a frown.

Shinichi saw Kenji's gaze, and returned it with a questioning look. "What is it, Himura-sensei?"

"Did I tell you you could sit?" he asked.

Shinichi and Ota shared a glance. "Umm..." Ota said, "You said to stop fighting."

"Yes, but I didn't say you were done," Kenji told them.

Also in the sidelines, Kenko and Kenta shared a glance. They knew their brother all too well.

Shinichi frowned. "What do you mean by that?"

Kenji held up his own bokken. "I want you to fight me, Shinichi."

Shinichi went pale. "Himura-sensei...?"

Kenko frowned, and Kenta looked at her and nodded as he stood up. "Onii-san," he said, then went quiet as Kenji's angered gaze fell on him.

"Yes, Kenta...?" Kenji asked, voice low.

Kenta frowned, then met his brother's gaze unwaveringly. "Onii-sensei... Shinichi-san is tired. Let him rest." Kenji narrowed his eyes, and Kenta hurriedly finished. "Fight me instead, brother!"

Kenji looked from his brother to Shinichi, then back to Kenta as a smirk crossed his face. "Fine. Get up, Kenta. I'll fight you."

Kenta swallowed, gripping his shinai tightly in his hands. He moved to stand opposite of his brother on the polished wooden floor of the dojo. The room was unusually quiet as the brothers stared each other down, sapphire blue eyes gazing into sapphire blue eyes.

Since a young age, Kenji had established himself as a merciless warrior. It didn't matter if his opponent were elder or younger, friend or family... He fought them all with all his strength. On one level, it was a good thing. He was fair, brutally so.

Kenta, on the other hand... Kenta was strong, but gentle. He was very like his father's rurouni self, more so than either of his siblings. At eight years old, however, he was hardly a match for his elder brother.

After what seemed like hours, Kenji finally decided to make the first move. He all but vanished in a blur of god-speed—something both Kenji and Kenko could tap into, but Kenta had never figured out—and it was all Kenta could do to anticipate his path of motion. Kenta swiftly brought up his shinai, bracing himself for the impact.

It never came. He blinked in surprise, noting that Kenji was not in front of him at all.

"Over here!" Kenji's voice called, coming from above. Kenta's eyes shot upwards, and he gaped in shock at his brother. Kenji had leapt high into the air, holding his bokken above his head. Kenta winced, closing his eyes.

He heard Kenji's sandals hit the floor as he felt the wind from the movement brush against him, messing up his hair. It took Kenta a minute to realize he wasn't hurt at all. He opened his eyes as he lifted his head, and found Kenji staring back at him as well. He'd stopped mid-swing with expert accuracy, his bokken hovering just above Kenta's head. By the smirk on his face, Kenji knew it, too.

He pulled away, tucking his bokken back into his belt. His form was perfect, infuriatingly so. Mostly because he was all too aware of his own perfection.

Kenji grinned down at his little brother. "Guess this means I'm still the lord of the dojo, hm?"

Kenta frowned, looking down as he nodded. "Hai, onii-san. I mean, sensei."

Kenji nodded, crossing his arms. "Good. Your lesson's over, then, onii-_chan_. Get back to your seat. And you, Shinichi..." Kenji turned his gaze back to the man. Shinichi was already getting up again. The fight between the brothers had given him a short rest, anyway. Kenji smirked as he returned to his position at the front of the dojo's floor. "That's right. It's your turn." Kenji said, smiling. "Everyone here must fight me before they leave, understood?"

The dojo was silent in unspoken agreement. No one dared speak at that moment.

Kenji lowered himself into a sword-drawing stance. "If you wish to taste the floor, feel free to come at me!" he said, hand resting deftly on his bokken's hilt. "I'll prove to all of you I'm worthy of my place as the dojo's heir!"

By the time class was dismissed for the day, Kenji had beaten every other student in the dojo... And he'd hardly even broken a sweat. When Kenshin came home, he was surprised to find his younger children sulking in the yard, and Kenji singing—yes, _singing—_in the bath.

"Did something happen today, de gozaru yo?"

Kenta and Kenko shook their heads. "No," Kenko said, drawing a circle in the dirt with a stick. "Nothing much. Onii-san was... his usual _perfect_ self."

Kenshin didn't miss the sarcastic tone in his daughter's voice when she said perfect, but he didn't have a chance to question it before Kenji walked down the deck wearing fresh clothes and a broad smile on his face.

Kenshin smiled in turn, and figured it was best to let it slide. "_Tadaima,_" he said.

Kenta and Kenko smiled. "_Okaeri nasai_," they said in unison as Kenji leaned against the wall with a grin. Kenshin tilted his head a little, and Kenji finally chimed in.

"Okaeri nasai," he smiled. "Welcome home, Dad."

It seemed the day had been a good one after all.

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><p><strong>Author: <strong>And from that day on, Kenji was indeed dubbed the dojo's lord, though often the word "fierce" or even "demon" would be included in that sentence somewhere...**  
><strong>

This chapter was actually very fun to write, despite Kenji's arrogance. I think that was the hardest thing to write. I liked him better in "Heart of a Sword," when he was a cute little kid.^^ Oh, well. Watsuki-sensei said he'd be more cynical than Saito and have a bigger ego than Shishio, so I've got to put at least a little of that in here. (If not all of it...) He also said Kenji would "master Hiten-mitsurugi Ryu's techniques just by hearing about them," so his using Ryu Tsui Sen on Kenta is based off that idea. (Yahiko knew it, so it's entirely possible he taught Kenji that one.)

Besides, he's fourteen, so it's pretty normal for him to be a little obnoxious. At that age, even Kenshin had a tendency to argue with his elders. (And I'm pretty sure Kenshin says "If you want to taste the ground, feel free to come at me!" at some point in the anime... so that phrase referenced that.)

For those who didn't read "Heart of a Sword," Kenko and Kenta are introduced there. Kenko's name means "Child of Swords" and Kenta's means "Strong Sword/Strength of a Sword." They're twins.

...

Japanese terms you might not know in this chapter (I used quite a few, I know...):

Baka; stupid/foolish/dumb/idiot/etc. (A pretty generic Japanese insult.)

Onii-san; older brother/big brother.

Bo; wooden pole.

Hai; yes. (I used this one last chapter, too.)

Onii-chan; little brother. (Kenji stresses the _chan_, though... So he's kind of insulting Kenta. "_Little_ brother.")

Tadaima; I'm home. (Literally "I'm here," I believe... But it's used when coming home.)

Okaeri Nasai; Welcome home. (I had to look that one up for this chapter. So I learned a new Japanese word!^^)

...

The other terms (shinai, bokken, sakabato, Bakumatsu...etc) are either explained in the manga itself or should be common knowledge (like _sakura_).

...But still, if anyone's confused by anything just ask!

**Scarred Sword Heart: **Thanks for the review.^^ I hope it's as worth the wait.

See you next time!


	3. Chapter 2: The Samurai Goes to Town

Path of Swords

Chapter Two: The Samurai Goes to Town

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><p>The day after Kaoru, Yahiko, and Yutaro returned, Kenji was invited by the young men to go to town with them. Kenshin and Kaoru gave Kenji the task of picking up a few supplies, but other than that he was free to do as he wished with the others.<p>

In short, it was an opportunity to have a little fun with Yahiko and Yutaro, something Kenji rarely got to do lately. He remembered many days in his childhood when the older boys had watched over him while they ran errands. Little Kenji had always been quite popular in town, especially with the women. One kind vendor even gave him free fruit every time she'd seen him, despite Yahiko's offers to pay her.

"No," she'd say with a smile. "For such a sweet child, it's a gift. His smile's the only pay I need."

"Arigotto," Kenji would say, beaming with gratitude.

He had always stood out from the other children, and he'd always known it. It wasn't just his uncommon hair color—even his own siblings had dark hair, he alone had inherited his father's unique trait—but also the way he held himself. The swordsmanship training had given him a grace few people had, a confidence that showed in the way he walked. That, and the knowledge that his parents could easily defend him from any danger he could get into.

He'd always known that, too. Even if he still didn't know all the details about his father's past, he knew his father had been a fierce foe to reckon with during the Bakumatsu. His father rarely spoke of those days, however, and the look in his eyes had always kept Kenji from prying even though he was curious. He knew his father had a vow to never kill anyone, but still... His eyes held dark secrets, no matter how innocent and foolish he could make himself appear. His eyes could be scary, sometimes, but he would always catch himself and smile if he went too far.

Kenji wished his parents would tell him the whole story, even if it hurt. It couldn't be that bad... Could it?

As Kenji wandered into town with his elder friends, his thoughts drifted as aimlessly as his gaze. His eyes fell on the horizon, fixating on the smoke rising from one of the new factories they'd built. Such factories had earned mixed reactions from the people of Japan, with some embracing the western technology and many outright fighting it. Uprisings among the descendants of former samurai were not uncommon.

Kenji's parents, however, always said the same thing in response to the questions and conflicts. Time will never stop, and the changes brought by the future are things that must be accepted if life is to go on. However, it is equally important to remember the events that have happened in the past and honor the memories of days gone by. Kenji's parents were unique among the people Kenji knew, at once standing for both the past and the future.

Kenji smiled a little as his hand instinctively curled around the hilt of his bokken. He, too, was proof that the past and future could exist at the same time. And he was proud to wear both the old ways and the ideals of a new era.

"It's good to see a smile on your face," Yahiko laughed, snapping Kenji out of his train of thought.

"Oro?" Kenji stammered, which only cracked Yahiko up even more. Kenji sighed, flushing slightly as he frowned. "I was thinking, that's all."

"Seemed like a very deep thought," Yutaro grinned.

Kenji smiled a little wistfully. "Hai, I suppose it was. It's strange, how quickly the times change, isn't it?"

Yahiko and Yutaro both nodded, and Yahiko smiled. "You kids of this new era are going to grow up in a completely different world... Even the times I grew up in were very different from the way things are now. It's a hard time to be a swordsman..."

The bokken at his hip seemed to grow heavier as Kenji thought about it. Yes, the times were changing—and the government was doing all that it could to force the samurai to change with them, like it or not. Kenji suspected that his parents and their friends had dealt with a lot of the problems such futile attempts at quenching the spirits of these swordsmen had caused... Most of them weren't the kind of people who'd just sit quietly and agree to give up. The opposite, in fact.

Kenji himself felt rather angered with how the authorities were dealing with the uprisings—it felt wrong to him, completely wrong. Every time word reached his ears of another incident where the government stepped in to stop an uprising with violence, it fed the fire that was eating away at his heart. So many people wound up dead because of this stupidity.

It made Kenji sick. He couldn't stand the thought of so many people dying and suffering around him, he ached to stand up and _do _something... but Kenji kept his thoughts to himself, because he didn't know how his parents—especially his father—would react if they knew how he felt. Part of him knew he couldn't hide his feelings forever, though.

His father was far too perceptive sometimes.

Kenji frowned, then quickened his pace to walk beside Yahiko as they neared their first destination. Yahiko smiled as he opened the door to the flat where he lived with his wife, Tsubame, and their son.

Shinya was at the door in a moment, peering up at his father and Kenji. The grin that spread across his chubby face lit Kenji's eyes with happiness as well. It reminded him of when his little brother and sister had been toddlers like Shinya.

"Gojaru!" Shinya giggled. "Gojaru!"

Kenji grinned and knelt down to be more at Shinya's level. "Hai, de gozaru yo! Good to see you, Shinya!"

Tsubame came over to the door and smiled at Yahiko before speaking to Kenji. "Shinya really likes you, Kenji-chan." Kenji frowned a little at the "chan," but let it slide.

"Gojaru!" Shinya clapped happily, and Yahiko grinned.

"Tsubame, the three of us are going to run some errands in town—and I'm going to stop by the dojo later to give Shinichi some extra practice—he's going to be out of town for a couple weeks."

Tsubame smiled a little. "Alright, that's fine... but Shinya will miss you."

Yahiko laughed and bent over to mess up Shinya's hair. "You'll be alright, won't you?"

Shinya just smiled at Yahiko and nodded.

Yahiko stood up and nodded at Tsubame before he turned away, followed by Yutaro and Kenji. Yahiko turned to Kenji as they walked. "So, Kenji... What sort of errands did your parents give you, anyway?"

Kenji frowned. "They want me to pick up some bandages and medical supplies from Megumi-dono for the dojo."

Yahiko grinned. "Good, then. I've been planning to stop by her place for a while now."

The three of them made their way through the outskirts of Tokyo to Megumi's home. She'd moved back to Tokyo from Aizu after seven years of searching for her long-lost family without any luck. Since then, she'd gotten plenty of business from the students of the Kamiya dojo—though, to Megumi's relief, nothing really serious had happened to her friends lately.

As Kenji and his friends neared the front gate, they could hear Megumi shouting at her current patient.

"You _idiot. _I don't care what that _bird-head_ tried to teach you, _don't listen to him_. He's the _stupidest_ man in all _Asia. _Maybe even the _world._"

Yahiko whistled. "Boy, sounds like someone's really mad at Sano at the moment..."  
>"Wonder what he did this time?" Yutaro chuckled.<p>

Kenji was the only one who dared to knock on the front door. "Megumi-dono, it's Kenji! I'm here to buy some supplies for the dojo!"

"Hold on a minute," she said, sighing audibly. A moment later she opened the door for Kenji and the others, who kicked off their shoes and walked in. Yahiko sat down by the wall, Yutaro leaned up against the door frame, and Kenji followed Megumi over to her supply cabinet. All three of them shot glances at the boy sitting on the treatment bed—a young boy with messy hair and a side-ways grin on his face. His right arm was bandaged from his hand to his elbow.

Kenji pouted, trying to hold back a laugh. "What happened to him, Auntie?"

Megumi rolled her eyes. "Don't even... The little _idiot_ tried to imitate _that bird-headed fool_ and hurt his arm. I _told_ Sanosuke not to _damn well_ teach Sozo _anything_ that could hurt him. Does he listen? _No_."

Kenji shared a glance with the others as Megumi ranted about Sano's stupidity. Finally, she tied up the bundle of supplies and handed them over to Kenji with a sigh.

"Arigotto," Kenji said, bowing to her. Megumi, who seemed a _little_ more calm, smiled at him.

"Dou itashimashite," she said. "You're welcome, kiddo. I'm sorry that I was in a bad mood when you got here. I'm _still_ mad at that idiot. Especially considering how he ran off after dropping Sozo off with me."

"It's okay," Kenji chuckled. It wasn't exactly abnormal for Megumi to be mad at Sano about _something_.

"If we see him, we'll send him your way," Yahiko promised.

"You better warn Dad he's in for it when he shows up," Sozo laughed, wincing as he jarred his arm.

Yahiko shook his head. "Well, if he was trying to teach you what I _think_ he was, then he kind of deserves to be talked to a little."

Megumi rolled her eyes, and Sozo looked at his feet bashfully. "He wasn't exactly _trying_ to teach me... I was just imitating something I saw him do..."

"And I've told him not to do anything stupid in front of you," Megumi sighed.

Yahiko chuckled, leaning over toward Yutaro to whisper, "That'd be pretty hard for him, don't you think?"

Yutaro laughed. "Yeah..."

Megumi rolled her eyes again, walking over to Yutaro. "Alright, enough of that. While you're here, let me take a look at your arm, Yutaro."

Yutaro frowned, glancing down at his right arm—which he always wore in a sling against his body, letting the right sleeve of his gi hang empty to his side. "I don't think it's improved much, Megumi. I can move my fingers a little, but that's pretty much it."

"Well, at least let me see it for myself..." Megumi slid the right half of his gi off and undid the sling. The old scar from his injury was still prominent on his arm, and Kenji shuddered to think of how terrible the wound must have been.

Yutaro clenched his fingers a little, but his right hand was still obviously disabled. Megumi sighed, wrapping the sling back up. "Alright, it's not like I expected it to heal even _that_ well. At least you're still doing okay, though."

Yutaro beamed at her. "Of course, I just have to work harder with my left, that's all. Besides, one-armed swordsmen are popular with the ladies."

Yahiko frowned. "Only because you keep bragging about the great battle you were wounded in."

Yutaro glared at Yahiko. "Shut up!"

Yahiko grinned and went on. "You know that if Kenshin hadn't been there, you would've _died_."

Kenji perked up at the mention of his father. Of course, he'd heard this story before—about how Kenshin had come to Yutaro's rescue when the boy had gotten into trouble with Raijuta. Even such a simple story seemed to have pieces missing from it—secrets his parents and their friends wouldn't tell Kenji.

It bothered him greatly. He was almost a man. Why couldn't they trust him with the truth?

"Kenji?" Yahiko asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

Kenji nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine." His tone of voice was clipped with buried anger. He couldn't keep that from bleeding through, even though he was trying to keep his cool. Yahiko and Yutaro moved aside as he passed by, sharing a worried glance.

"I'll see you later," Kenji said to them. "I better get these supplies back to the dojo."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Yahiko asked, but Kenji walked off without answering.

He ran off down the streets of the city, hoping to find something that would make him feel better or take his mind off the thoughts that made him so _angry_... but it seemed like everything he turned to see disappointed him.

No one understood him. No one had the same spirit he did. No one could help him find his way. Even his parents—who stood behind him in everything he did—did not fully trust him. He knew that was a fact—he'd seen the fear in his father's eyes on occasion when watching Kenji practice.

What was he so _afraid_ of?

Why wouldn't he just _tell_ Kenji?

Finally, Kenji found himself sitting beside the East River, gazing into the waters at the fish swimming by. He held his bokken up against his body, his hands clenched so tightly around the wooden blade that his fingers had turned white.

He sat there for quite some time before picking up the bundle of supplies and heading homeward. The bustle of the city streets on the way home did distract his mind a little, at least. He needed that.

Vendors selling varied goods shouted out to people wandering the streets. As evening fast approached, the innkeepers searched the crowd for weary wanderers. People gathered in groups to talk about events of the day or news from other parts of the country.

It was only when Kenji's sharp hearing picked up on the word _murderer_ in one conversation that he stopped to listen in.

"...up in Hokkaido somewhere, so I heard. Several officers have been killed, as well as ordinary citizens. Women and children, even."

"What a monster!"

"What's being done about this?"

"I don't know, I heard the police were searching for him. At this rate, though, they'll never track him down."

"Someone needs to take him out before he does any more damage..."

_Women and children, even_... Kenji's face darkened in disgust. A monster, indeed. He shook his head and walked on. He almost wished he hadn't overheard that bit of news...

...But, part of him wondered if he'd heard it for a reason.

* * *

><p><strong>Author: <strong>I'm sorry for the wait between chapters, but I've been pretty busy lately and couldn't find the time to work on this story. I've decided to try updating my fanfictions in a cycle from now on, so the wait for the next one shouldn't be so long as this last one. Also, since the action in this story really picks up from here I think it will be easier to write.

Notes on this chapter? In case it's not obvious, Sozo is the son of Megumi and Sano, named after Sanosuke's mentor and hero, Captain Sagara Sozo. I imagine him to be about seven or eight. Shinya is a character Watsuki-sensei himself said would be the son of Yahiko and Tsubame. His nickname for Kenji, "Gojaru," is also what Iori called Kenshin in the actual manga as a play on his catchphrase "de gozaru yo."

And Watsuki-sensei said that if he'd written a fourth arc for the Kenshin manga, it would've been set in Hokkaido... where Saito was actually said to be stationed in the end of the "Cherry Blossoms in Spring" short. So, yes... This story of mine is a shout out to that idea as well.

Yutaro's injury, as far as I'm concerned, would have been rather impossible to heal in the Meiji era. If his nerves were cut, he'd be lucky to even be able to feel or move his hand, much less be dexterous with it ever again. I kind of like the idea of him wearing his arm in a sling all the time and fighting one-handed... As he states in this chapter, that alone makes him pretty skilled. In the actual manga Tae and Tsubame both wanted Sano to buy them a popular print of a one-armed samurai. I don't doubt that being badass enough to fight with only one arm would make a guy popular with the ladies... especially if he plays up the story about how he "lost his arm." Yeah.

...

Japanese words in this chapter:

Arigotto; thanks/thank you.

De gozaru yo; Kenshin's catchphrase in the manga, which Kenji (apparently) picked up from him. It adds politeness to the sentence. It's the older and more formal version of "desu" which is used nowadays.

Dou itashimashite; you're welcome.

...

**Scarred Sword Heart:** I'm glad that Kenji's skills are up to your standard. ^^ Hope you enjoy reading about his further exploits in this story, because I have plenty of action planned for him!

**Queen Emily the Diligent:** Thanks! I want Kenshin's ending to be happy, too... He absolutely deserves happiness!

**DarkestAngel1808: **Thanks!


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